5 Ways To Deal With A Diabetes Complication
5 Ways to Deal With a Diabetes Complication Moving forward when you have a diabetes-related problem You do your best to manage your diabetes. But sometimes thats not enough to prevent diabetes-related complications. You may be facing damage to your heart , eyes , nerves , or kidneys . Being diagnosed with diabetes can feel like a world-rockercomplications can seem like the end of your world, although they can be treated. Here are some steps you can take to move forward emotionally after receiving the news that you have a complication. 1. Identify your feelings, and feel them. When someone gets a serious diagnosis, they may pass through the stages of griefshock, denial, anger, and sadnessbefore theyre able to accept it, says Judith Margerum, PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist in Southfield, Mich. That [diagnosis] really creates a sense that the world is not the safe place you thought it was, she says. Itll take some time before you can really accept what the next steps are in caring for your complication. Thats OK. Just try to recognize how you feel at the time, feel it, and then let it go. Sometimes when a doctor gives you bad news, it envelops you in a fog, and you might not be listening or thinking clearly about what comes next. Thats common, says Shelley Diamond, PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist in San Francisco. Youve just gotten a big shock. Youre going to need time to figure out what does this mean as a big change in your life, she says. So once youre a little removed from that initial diagnosis, feel free to ask as many questions as you have. You may want to write down your questions so you dont forget to ask them at your next visit. People need to be aware of what helps them when theyre overwhelmed, Diamond says. That might mean taking some time off wor Continue reading >>
10 Tips On Coping With Diabetes
Sign up for our free newsletters and special offers! Just enter your email below. Delivering you the best in inspirational articles, life stories, quotes and more. Receive a Daily Measure of God's Word and guidance straight to your inbox. Let angels be your guide with help from this inspiring and thought-provoking newsletter. Diabetes affects 26 million Americans, it's most likely that we all know someone who has diabetes, and perhaps you may be the one who has the disease. To get along with diabetes you have to manage it. Lets discover 10 steps to make the management of your diabetes easier. Diabetes affects 26 million Americans, it is likely that we all know someone who has diabetes, and perhaps you may be the one who has diabetes. Someone once shared with me You dont have to like diabetes, you just have to get along with it, and that is just what we are going to do! Follow these10 simple tips to make the managementand navigationof your diabetes easier. Continue reading >>
Coping And Diabetes
"I simply cannot cope with this!" How often have you uttered just these words when you felt completely overwhelmed by all that you had to accomplish at work or at home? How often have you heard one of your clients with diabetes say, "I cannot manage diabetes in addition to everything else I do! I simply cannot cope!" Have you ever wondered exactly what that patient meant and how you might help your clients cope? There are many definitions of coping (almost as many as there are studies), but probably the most commonly used is that of Pearlin and Schooler,1 who define coping as behavior that protects people from being psychologically harmed by problematic social experiences. Coping serves a protective function that can be exercised in three ways: 1) by eliminating or modifying stressful conditions; 2) by perceptually controlling the meaning of the stressor; or 3) by keeping emotional consequences in bounds. The other commonly used definition is that of Lazarus and Folkman,2 who define it as "constantly changing cognitive and behavioral efforts to manage specific external and/or internal demands that are appraised as taxing or exceeding the resources of the person." In other words, coping allows people to use various skills to manage the difficulties they face in life. The Lazarus and Folkman framework is process-oriented, not trait-oriented, and emphasizes that the approaches people use to cope change with time, experience, and the nature of the stressor rather than people being "pre-programmed" to use the same coping behaviors regardless of the stressful experience. Further, this approach limits the problem of confounding coping with outcome and avoids equating coping with mastery. In other words, coping is the process that is used to help master a problem, but coping d Continue reading >>
- Diabetes Foot Pain: Strategies for Coping With Diabetes Foot Pain
- American Diabetes Association® Releases 2018 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes, with Notable New Recommendations for People with Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes
- Diabetes and Sleep Apnea: How Sleep Affects Blood Glucose and Diabetes
How You Can Cope With Type 1 Diabetes
Intro Living with type 1 diabetes can be emotionally draining. It’s normal for people with type 1 diabetes to feel scared, angry, frustrated, or discouraged from time to time. But there are some simple steps that you can take to reduce stress levels and anxiety. These seven suggestions can also help you to live better with type 1 diabetes. 1. Manage your stress It can be difficult to adjust to life with diabetes. Making changes to diet and lifestyle, monitoring blood sugar, counting carbs, and remembering to take insulin and other medications are often sources of stress. As time goes on, these tasks will get easier. But everyone has days when they feel overwhelmed. Doctors call the stress, anxiety, and negative emotions related to diabetes “diabetes distress.” People who have had type 1 diabetes for a long time may develop “diabetes burnout.” This can happen when you start to feel burdened by your diabetes. Along with diabetes stress, you likely also have other sources of stress in your life, such as school or work. Getting a handle on stress can go a long way towards coping better with diabetes. Find an activity that you enjoy to manage daily stress. Some options include exercising, going for a walk, taking a long bath, or even doing the dishes. Breathing exercises can also be helpful for reducing anxiety. 2. Work with your diabetes care team Your diabetes care team often includes your diabetes doctor and nurse, general practitioner, dietician, ophthalmologist, and diabetes educator. Depending on your needs, your team may also include other specialists, such as a foot doctor, mental health professional, or heart doctor. These are the best people to ask if you have any questions about your condition. They can also give you some tips on coping with type 1 diabe Continue reading >>
Coping With Emotional Issues
To receive email updates about Diabetes Education enter your email address: Depression is sometimes associated with diseases, including diabetes. Dealing with more than one health problem at a time can be difficult, so understanding the link between depression and diabetes is important. Living a Balanced Life with Diabetes Tip SheetsThe tip sheets from the Living a Balanced Life with Diabetes: A Toolkit Addressing Psychosocial Issues for American Indian and Alaska Native People can help you address common emotional issues among people with diabetes and their families. Continue reading >>
4 Ways To Cope With Type 2 Diabetes - Wikihow
{"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/0\/0b\/Cope-With-Type-2-Diabetes-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Cope-With-Type-2-Diabetes-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/0\/0b\/Cope-With-Type-2-Diabetes-Step-1.jpg\/v4-760px-Cope-With-Type-2-Diabetes-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":760,"bigHeight":570} Be aware of the psychological challenges that can follow a diabetes diagnosis. Because type 2 diabetes is such a complex condition requiring constant monitoring of one's diet and lifestyle, it has been shown in studies to lead to heightened risk of anxiety and depression. [1] Note that there is a cyclical relationship between psychological and physical health. In other words, failing to deal with psychological issues such as anxiety and/or depression can in turn make it much more challenging to maintain your physical health. This also goes in the opposite direction failing to take care of yourself mentally can make it difficult to deal with your physical health as well. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/b\/bd\/Cope-With-Type-2-Diabetes-Step-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Cope-With-Type-2-Diabetes-Step-2.jpg","bigUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/b\/bd\/Cope-With-Type-2-Diabetes-Step-2.jpg\/v4-760px-Cope-With-Type-2-Diabetes-Step-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":760,"bigHeight":570} Recognize signs that you may be struggling emotionally. If you notice yourself falling into any of the following patterns, consider checking in with your doctor and sharing with her what is really going on for you: [2] Losing motivation to follow your regular medication routine and/or routine blood sugar checks. Lacking desire to follow through with physical exertion or with your recommended diet this Continue reading >>
How To Deal With The Diagnosis Of Diabetes
Common Emotional Reactions Ann Bloise was so ashamed to learn she had type 2 diabetes that she didn't tell her family for three weeks. "I thought I got diabetes because I'm so overweight," the Dallas resident says. "I really felt that it was my fault." On top of her shame, she was terrified about how diabetes would affect her vision, her feet, and her heart. She also became depressed. "I was staring mortality in the face," she says. "Here I was, 44 years old, and I hadn't done half of the things I wanted to do in life." Being diagnosed with diabetes is an emotional experience that can arouse difficult feelings. Some people deny their illness or feel outrage. Others become depressed, feel tremendous guilt and shame, or are stricken with fear about the future. "All of these are common emotional reactions," says John Zrebiec, M.S.W., CDE, associate director of mental health services at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston and a member of the Diabetic Living editorial advisory board. "Diabetes can often bring with it a normal grief reaction. But the stages and intensity will differ from person to person, depending on life experiences," he says. Healthy Ways to Deal with a New Diagnosis Zrebiec says it may take as long as a year to come to terms with diabetes. If you're in the doldrums, try not to let negative feelings interfere with taking care of your health. Here are some strategies to keep them in check: Educate Yourself: "The more you learn, the more empowered you'll feel," says Paula Wilkerson of Albany, New York, who was initially terrified by her diagnosis. "Now I know the diagnosis doesn't mean life is over. You can begin an even better life that includes taking better care of yourself and understanding your body," she says. Open Up to Family and Friends: Rather tha Continue reading >>
4 Steps To Manage Your Diabetes For Life
This publication has been reviewed by NDEP for plain language principles. Learn more about our review process. Actions you can take The marks in this booklet show actions you can take to manage your diabetes. Help your health care team make a diabetes care plan that will work for you. Learn to make wise choices for your diabetes care each day. Step 1: Learn about diabetes. What is diabetes? There are three main types of diabetes: Type 1 diabetes – Your body does not make insulin. This is a problem because you need insulin to take the sugar (glucose) from the foods you eat and turn it into energy for your body. You need to take insulin every day to live. Type 2 diabetes – Your body does not make or use insulin well. You may need to take pills or insulin to help control your diabetes. Type 2 is the most common type of diabetes. Gestational (jest-TAY-shun-al) diabetes – Some women get this kind of diabetes when they are pregnant. Most of the time, it goes away after the baby is born. But even if it goes away, these women and their children have a greater chance of getting diabetes later in life. You are the most important member of your health care team. You are the one who manages your diabetes day by day. Talk to your doctor about how you can best care for your diabetes to stay healthy. Some others who can help are: dentist diabetes doctor diabetes educator dietitian eye doctor foot doctor friends and family mental health counselor nurse nurse practitioner pharmacist social worker How to learn more about diabetes. Take classes to learn more about living with diabetes. To find a class, check with your health care team, hospital, or area health clinic. You can also search online. Join a support group — in-person or online — to get peer support with managing your Continue reading >>
7 Ways To Cope With Diabetes Burnout
I’ve been feeling burnt out about work, and so I recently forced myself to spend a weekend untethered from my phone, not checking email, and not responding to calls. The two days felt longer than normal, I didn’t miss anything important, and I emerged on Monday morning refreshed – so much so that I’m thinking of making it part of my regular routine. The experience made me wish that it were possible to do something similar with diabetes – to just take a break. But, as I complained to my husband, that’s just not possible; as we all know, there’s simply no way (without the risk of high or low blood sugar) to just take a weekend “off.” You can’t hire a babysitter for your diabetes and have a romantic dinner out. You can’t take a vacation to a tropical island and leave diabetes at home (and if you’re anything like me, diabetes and tropical drinks are a recipe for disaster to begin with). So what can you do? I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about this, especially since I am way too much of a control freak to come anywhere close to ignoring my blood sugar or rebelling against diabetes by eating a box of donuts. And, I came up with what for me might be a partial solution. It occurred to me that perhaps instead of trying to give myself space by ignoring diabetes – which would be self-destructive – I might be able to tackle my diabetes burnout from a side angle: perhaps if I could clear out some of the junk in other areas of my life, I’d have the mental space to take care of my diabetes without feeling quite so overwhelmed. Following this logic, I’m trying to find ways to be nicer to myself – to sleep late when I need to, to work in the garden instead of answering emails – in hopes that in so doing, I’ll clear out some emotional space for Continue reading >>
Coping With Diabetes Over Time
If a problem has no solution, it may not be a problem, but a fact – not to be solved, but to be coped with over time. –Shimon Peres When you are diagnosed with a chronic illness such as diabetes, you must face the fact that there is no cure. Despite the millions of dollars spent in research to better understand diabetes and the ongoing advances in treatment options for it, a person with diabetes has to realize that it will accompany him for the rest of his life. Among chronic diseases, diabetes is unique in the amount of time and attention it requires of the person who has it to remain healthy. It is therefore no surprise that taking care of yourself may feel difficult or challenging at times. That’s why dealing with diabetes over the long term requires developing a range of coping skills and techniques, from learning to carry out the daily tasks of diabetes control, to finding ways to deal with the emotions that having diabetes and having to care for it are bound to bring up at times. Daily care Much of what you do to keep your blood glucose, blood pressure, and blood cholesterol levels in the near-normal range is aimed at preventing long-term complications. But it’s also about feeling good today. Keeping your blood glucose level in your target range, in particular, can help you feel more energetic and alert, enabling you to participate in and enjoy the other parts of your life. So how do you carry out the tasks of eating right, getting physical activity, monitoring your blood glucose level, and taking any prescribed medicines every day for the rest of your life without getting overwhelmed? Here are some tips: Knowledge is power. All aspects of diabetes care require a certain amount of knowledge: Meal planning requires some knowledge of nutrition; being physica Continue reading >>
10 Tips For Coping With Diabetes Distress
10 Tips for Coping with Diabetes Distress To receive email updates about Diabetes Education enter your email address: Managing diabetes can be hard. Sometimes you may feel overwhelmed. Having diabetes means that you need to check your blood sugar levels often, make healthy food choices, be physically active, remember to take your medicine, and make other good decisions about your health several times a day. In addition, you may also worry about having low or high blood sugar levels, the costs of your medicines, and developing diabetes-related complications, such as heart disease or nerve damage. Having diabetes can be overwhelming at times. The good news is that there are things you can do to cope with diabetes and manage stress. When all of this feels like too much to deal with, you may have something called diabetes distress. This is when all the worry, frustration, anger, and burnout makes it hard for you to take care of yourself and keep up with the daily demands of diabetes. The good news is that there are things you can do to cope with diabetes and manage stress. Here are 10 tips that can help. Pay attention to your feelings. Almost everyone feels frustrated or stressed from time to time. Dealing with diabetes can add to these feelings and make you feel overwhelmed. Having these feelings for more than a week or two may signal that you need help coping with your diabetes so that you can feel better. Talk with your health care providers about your feelings. Let your doctor, nurse, diabetes educator, psychologist, or social worker know how youve been feeling. They can help you problem-solve your concerns about diabetes. They may also suggest that you speak with other health care providers to get help. Talk to your health care providers about negative reactions other Continue reading >>
Coping With Your Emotions
It’s normal to feel overwhelmed. Here are some ways to cope: Learn to understand and accept your feelings, and live well. A diabetes diagnosis can turn your life upside down. It’s normal to feel overwhelmed. Here are some common feelings: Diabetes doesn’t go away. Sometimes I feel like I’ve had enough! After 10 years with diabetes, I just want a break. I need a vacation from diabetes!” Diabetes is demanding. I have to check my sugar and count my carbohydrates before every meal. I always need to have my meter and wear identification. I have so many doctors’ appointments, it’s ridiculous. It’s like having another job.” Diabetes is frightening. Even though I try my best to do all the things I’m supposed to do, I know there’s no guarantee. I might still have complications. That worry is always in the back of my mind.” Diabetes intrudes. So here I am at a job interview. It’s a great job at a great company. I’m trying to focus and make a good impression. Then I had a low and started sweating. It was awful.” Diabetes is frustrating. What irks me the most is that after all that work, my numbers still don’t make sense! Should I even bother?” Diabetes affects friends and family. I see his anger and frustration and I don’t know how to help him.” Diabetes is discouraging. I know what I should do, but I just can’t seem to do it. Maybe I don’t have the energy; maybe I don’t care.” Diabetes is exasperating. First it takes 20 minutes before I finally get transferred to the right person. It took another 2 months before I got an appointment with the doctor. Then all the doctor did was look at my logbook and tell me my numbers were too high. I felt lousy.” Assemble your team. Learn about your disease. Understand your feelings. Here are some Continue reading >>
Type 2 Diabetes: How To Handle The News
"You have type 2 diabetes.” It’s a tough diagnosis to hear. Once you're told, what should you do? First, take a breath. You may be surprised or even shocked, especially if your body feels the same as it always has. Some people feel scared, sad, or overwhelmed. “When I was diagnosed, it hit me like a blow to my stomach. I couldn’t believe it,” says 65-year-old Luxmi Popat, from Orlando, FL. But after you have time to think, remember this: You can live a long, healthy life with diabetes. You may need to make changes to your daily routine, but it doesn’t have to stop you from doing the things you want and need to do. “Diabetes can be controlled,” says Gregory Dodell, MD, of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Health System in New York. “In addition to finding ways to live a healthier life, we have amazing tools that can help avoid complications.” Get to the right mind-set with these first steps: A shift in your thinking may help you feel better and move forward. “Think of managing diabetes and improving your overall health as a tremendous challenge with a huge upside,” Dodell says. Maybe you haven’t been eating well or getting enough exercise. Maybe you need more of a work-life balance. Your diagnosis can be a wake-up call -- in a good way. “We often take our health for granted,” Dodell says. “But in the long run, it’s difficult to accomplish all we do on a daily basis if we’re not healthy.” A change in mind-set worked for Quinn Nystrom, a diabetes advocate in Baxter, MN, who has been living with the condition for 18 years. “When I learned that I was the only one that could determine the quality of my life, it changed how I looked at the world,” Nystrom says. “Diabetes didn't have to define me, I could use it to refine me Continue reading >>
How To Beat Type 2 Diabetes With Diet And Lifestyle Changes
It's no secret that type 2 diabetes is on the rise in the United States and around the world. But if you've been diagnosed with diabetes, there's a lot you can do to improve your health — and the best place to start is likely by making some changes to your lifestyle. “Basic principles of good health like eating right, exercising regularly, and maintaining a healthy weight can be as effective as medicine in the management of type 2 diabetes for most people,” says Sue McLaughlin, RD, CDE, lead medical nutrition therapist at Nebraska Medicine in Omaha. That's backed up by the Look AHEAD study, a large clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The researchers found that over a four-year period, changes like eating a healthier diet and getting more exercise led to weight loss and improved diabetes control in 5,000 overweight or obese participants with type 2 diabetes. A December 2016 review in Diabetologia similarly found through 28 studies that participants who were able to achieve about 150 minutes per week of moderate activity lowered their risk of type 2 diabetes by 26 percent compared with nonactive participants. If you're ready to make positive changes to help control diabetes, here's how to get started. Improve Your Diet to Help You Treat Type 2 Diabetes Naturally Keeping close tabs on your diet is a major way to help manage type 2 diabetes. A healthy diet for people with type 2 diabetes includes fresh or frozen fruit and vegetables, whole grains, beans, lean meats, and low-fat or fat-free dairy. Focus on eating fruit and non-starchy vegetables, like broccoli, carrots, and lettuce, and having smaller portions of starchy foods, meats, and dairy products. Be especially careful about loading Continue reading >>
Everyday Diabetes Care: Coping Skills & More | Cornerstones4care
One thing you can do to help fight your fear is to take care of yourself. Try to figure out why you feel afraid and cope with your fear in a healthy way Understand the facts and risks of diabetes-related health problems Remind yourself of the facts whenever your fear becomes too much Stick to your diabetes care plan because it may help you in many ways Talk with people close to you: family, friends, or diabetes care team members Depression is common in people with diabetes. Its important to handle any guilt or depression you may be feeling in a positive way. A good first step is to reach out and talk with your diabetes care team and your loved ones about how youre feeling. Sharing what youre going through is one way to get help with negative emotions. Get to know the symptoms of depression and anxiety, such as losing interest in activities you once enjoyed or having trouble falling asleep. Depression is serious and needs to be treated.If you think you are depressed, talk with your diabetes care team. Prescription Tresiba is a long-acting insulin used to control high blood sugar in adults with diabetes Tresiba is not for people with diabetic ketoacidosis Tresiba is available in 2 concentrations: 200 units/mL and 100 units/mL It is not known if Tresiba is safe and effective in children under 18 years of age Do not share your Tresiba FlexTouch with other people, even if the needle has been changed. You may give other people a serious infection, or get a serious infection from them. are allergic to Tresiba or any of the ingredients in Tresiba Before taking Tresiba, tell your health care provider about all your medical conditions, including if you are: pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding taking new prescription or over-the-counter medicines, vitamins Continue reading >>
